Updated COVID-19 boosters available in Bemidji prior to holiday season
Dec. 14—BEMIDJI — The Minnesota Department of Health is urging state residents to make sure they're up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines and boosters prior to the holiday season.
Before gathering with extended families to celebrate the holidays, MDH is asking all Minnesotans over the age of 5 to receive the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine that was released in September.
There are several locations in Bemidji where the vaccines and boosters are available, including all Bemidji area Walgreens, Thrifty White Pharmacy, Walmart Pharmacy, Sanford Health and Beltrami County Public Health. Vaccines are administered at no cost regardless of insurance status.
"Thousands of Minnesotans have already taken advantage of the booster's availability to provide themselves the best possible protection against the strains of COVID-19 that are present in our state," a release said. "It also ensures that the level of protection remains high for those who may have had earlier COVID-19 vaccines whose effectiveness has waned."
How Minnesotans can get a free COVID-19 shot:
* Contact your health care provider or a local pharmacy.
* Use the state's
Find Vaccine Locations
to find vaccine providers near you — providers will update their information as appointments are available.
* Check for vaccine appointments at
where you can search for appointments by vaccine type (e.g., Pfizer).
* Watch for vaccination clinics being offered at other community locations around Minnesota.
How Minnesotans can get a COVID-19 test:
* Order rapid tests through the state's
free COVID-19 at-home rapid testing program.
* Check with your insurance company about ways to get free rapid tests from pharmacies.
* Find a testing option near you through the state's
Find Testing Locations
map.
For questions about COVID-19, contact the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Public Hotline at
(833) 431-2053,
9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
